Love's Flaming Fire
by GeneaLady
Summary: While in Boston during the events of The Heart Within, Sully makes an interesting find at a book store, not knowing just how much it will impact his marriage.


_**Author's Note: This is my first crossover, so if anything is confusing, please feel free to message me. I did my best to try to find a happy medium between canon events/timeline, historical events/timeline, and some personal preference fix-its. This fic will become canon in my DQMW world, details appearing in other fics. All quotes in italics, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Love Dare. All characters as well as the setting are DQMW. The only aspect of Fireproof that will appear is The Love Dare.**_

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_"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit." ~Albert Schweitzer: German theologian, musician, philosopher, physician, and medical missionary _

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Sully slowly roamed the streets of Boston, taking in his surroundings. He had met Colleen earlier for lunch for some mutually needed and desired father-daughter time, but she had to return to the hospital, where Andrew and Michaela were working hard to treat Elizabeth. As much as he wanted to be Michaela's support, he also knew that the three doctors needed to work without distraction, so he'd wander around for a while before heading back. Besides, Michaela was his heartsong. She could feel everything he felt for her, no matter how far apart they were.

Boston certainly wasn't the type of place he would want to live, but as he walked, Sully couldn't help noticing how much more comfortable he felt than on his first trip 10 years ago. It was true that he had spent more time in larger cities since he began work with the Department of the Interior two years ago (he still kicked himself every time he thought about how he caused Michaela to turn down her own chance to work for the government), but he was pretty sure that this time it had something to do with his appearance. He still wore his hair long, but he had traded his tan bucksins for much darker brown ones and wore a white dress shirt that was buttoned entirely (much to Michaela's disappointment). He couldn't care less what anyone thought of him or his appearance, but he was here to see Colleen graduate from medical school. The last thing he wanted was for his appearance to reflect negatively on her. As a woman, her time in medical school had been made difficult enough, although not by the curriculum.

Colleen... the only woman he was more proud of was her mother. How she had changed from the painfully shy and socially awkward little girl that he had met twenty years earlier. Now, she was graduating at the top of her class from medical school, married to a wonderful man who supported her career, and expecting their first child.

Sully pulled himself out of his thoughts as he approached Behnke's Bookstore. He had been to the Boston Public Library more than once, but he thought it might be nice to purchase a book to read on the long trip home.

"Good afternoon, sir. May I help you?" the store owner greeted Sully upon his entry.

"No, thanks. I'm just lookin'," Sully replied as he began to peruse the book selection.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask," the man said as Sully walked along one of the walls.

Sully walked the aisles and picked up several books, but none of them seemed to grab his attention. That was, until his eyes fell on a book bound in deep red leather. His brow furrowed when he read the cover: "The Love Dare, by Alex and Stephen Kendrick." Intrigued, he opened it and began to read:

_"This forty day journey cannot be taken lightly. It is a challenging and often difficult process, but an incredibly fulfilling one. To take this dare requires a resolute mind and a steadfast determination. It is not meant to be sampled or briefly tested, and those who quit early will forfeit the greatest benefits. If you will commit to a day at a time for forty days, the results could change your life, and your marriage._

_Consider it a dare, from others who have done it before you."_

A dare, huh? Sully wasn't the type of man to carelessly take any dare posed to him, but he did pride himself in being determined, a little too determined at times, but determined none the less... especially when it came to his marriage and family.

Smirking, Sully read on:

_"The Scriptures say that God designed and created marriage as a good thing. It is a beautiful, priceless gift. He uses marriage to help us eliminate loneliness, multiply our effectiveness, establish families, raise children, enjoy life, and bless us with relational intimacy. But beyond this, marriage also shows us our need to grow and deal with our own issues and self-centeredness through the help of a life-long partner. If we are teachable, we will learn to do the one thing that is most important in marriage—to love. This powerful union provides the path for you to learn how to love an- other imperfect person unconditionally. It is wonderful. It is difficult. It is life changing."_

To Sully, it felt as if this book was written for him and Michaela. Being married to her was definitely a priceless gift, a gift that certainly eliminated the loneliness he felt after the death of Abigail. During their counseling with the Reverend prior to their wedding, she had told them that together they could do so much, and she was right. Together they were raising six children, championed for Indian rights, saved the lives of many of the citizens of Colorado Springs, and so much more. Michaela had also single-handedly forced him to deal with the walls that he had put up after Abigail's death. Sully had indeed been selfish early in their friendship. Michaela had repeatedly offered her love and support to him, only to have him stubbornly push her away. How foolish he had been! Once those walls came down; however, they were able to learn how to love each other together. It wasn't easy and they were still learning, but they had come a long way.

Pulling himself out of his trip down memory lane, Sully continued:

_"This journey is not a process of trying to change your spouse to be the person you want them to be. You've no doubt already discovered that efforts to change your husband or wife have ended in failure and frustration. Rather, this is a journey of exploring and demonstrating genuine love, even when your desire is dry and your motives are low. The truth is, love is a decision and not just a feeling. It is selfless, sacrificial, and transformational. When love is truly demonstrated as it was intended, your relationship is more likely to change for the better."_

Sully nearly had to cover his mouth to suppress his chuckle. One of the biggest lessons he and Michaela had learned in their years together was that it's impossible to change the other person. They learned this largely the hard way, from their failed attempts to do so and the arguments that resulted. Once they tried to stop, they found that (for the most part) things they once viewed as faults in the other were actually something they found endearing and qualities that made the other who they fell in love with. It was true that they had each changed, but they had changed because of, rather than in spite of, each other.

Deciding that he'd give this Love Dare a shot, Sully took the book to the front of the store.

"Did you find what you were looking for, sir?" the store owner asked.

"I wasn't really lookin' for anything specific, but yeah, I did find somethin'. I don't go by "sir" though. The name's Sully." Sully said, extending his hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, Sully," the store owner said, gripping Sully's hand. "Robert Behnke. You don't sound like you're from Boston, are you visiting?"

Sully smiled. He could tell that this man was not patronizing or mocking him, but rather was mearly interested. "No, I'm not from Boston," Sully began to explain. "I spent my early childhood in New York, but then went west and I've been in Colorado since '59. I live there with my wife, who was born and raised here, and my youngest three children. My mother-in-law fell ill so we came out so she could be with her."

"Youngest three?" Mr. Behnke asked, impressed. "You must have your hands full."

"Yup, wouldn't have it any other way though," Sully chuckled.

"I'm sorry your mother-in-law is ill, but I'm sure your wife enjoys being able to spend time with her. It must be hard living so far from home," Mr. Behnke said.

"The kids are enjoyin' the different experience, too," Sully nodded in agreement. "This is the youngest three's first time here."

"Children always seem to enjoy experiencing new things," Mr. Behnke observed. "It's a shame that adults seem to lose that."

Sully nodded, reflecting on how he had been reluctant to give up his old ways in the early days of his and Michaela's courtship, in spite of knowing how much he would gain in return.

"Ah, I see you've purchased our newest offering," Mr. Behnke commented, picking up the book. "It's been flying off the shelves, but I must say that you're the first husband to purchase it. It's not common for a man to read such things."

"Well, my wife isn't common either," Sully said with a chuckle, getting him a puzzled look from Mr. Behnke. "My wife's a doctor."

Mr. Behnke's eyes instantly widened in recognition. "I'm sorry, Sully. I had assumed that was your first name. You're Byron Sully, Dr. Quinn's husband and, the soon-to-be, Dr. Colleen Sully-Cook's father!"

"That's me," Sully grinned proudly, pleased that Michaela was still known for her medical accomplishments more than ten years after leaving Boston, and that his daughter was making a name for herself even before her career began.

"Here you go, Sully. I do hope your mother-in-law is feeling better soon, and congratulations on your daughter's graduation." Mr. Behnke said, returning the book to Sully in exchange for payment.

"Thanks, have a good day," Sully nodded to the store owner as he made his way back to the hospital to his very uncommon wife before going back to the Quinn residence to rescue Martha from their children.


End file.
